Do you love snacking, I do. In fact I usually always have a snack around 10 after dinner. So I guess, as long as I'm going to snack, then I'd better find out what is the best sort of snack to eat before dinner. Carbs or Protein.
Protein has been a popular choice because the digestion of protein causes the body to burn more calories than do carbs or fats. This marginally increases the rate of metabolism. Protein also provides the body with the essential biological building blocks known as amino acids to maintain muscle.
Because amino acids can't be stored, having a constant supply of these is essential. So by eating protein at the end of the day, you're ensuring that your body won't be without the amino acids it needs during the 8 - 10 hours sleep.
So protein is a good after dinner snack, but is this the whole story ?
A MISSING PIECE OF THE FAT BURNING SNACK PUZZLE
What would happen if you ate carbs for your late night snack ? What about eating both carbohydrates AND protein ?
Dieters and athletes alike worry that they will gain weight if they eat carbs close to going to bed. Essentially this is not true. Weight gain does not result if you habitually eat carbohydrates after the evening meal and before you go to bed. Research indicates that carbohydates at bed time play a role in helping to lose and maintain weight.
Researchers administering this study split participants into two groups, one eating a ready-to-eat cereal with skim milk, and the other not eating anything before bed time over a four week period. The group who ate the ready-to-eat cereal before bed actually lost more weight than those who did not eat a bed time snack. One explanation may be that carbohydrates are necessary for your body to process and break down fat. So cutting carbohydate intake when you want to burn fat might not be the best way to go.
Another explanation, may be that those who ate the cereal just ended up consuming less calories. Researchers found that participants, in both groups consumed less calories, but those who ate the before bed time snack had the greatest decline in energy intake overall.